Continuing on from yesterday’s reading of the tea leaves at Mavic, we can now bring you details of Mavic’s completely new freeride and downhill wheel, the Deemax, along with their new tubeless rims.

The old bright yellow Deemax did a great job of catching the eye, but didn’t prove universally popular among downhill racers. For many in the amateur ranks they were simply too expensive, but even pros such as Peat and Nico rejected the burly hoops in favour of the lighter D 521s. Taking this information on board, Mavic have downsized the Deemax for ’03, culled the luminous finish and made them tubeless. Yes, the technology that Nico has been racing and developing for around four years now, is finally going to be made available to the public.

The original Deemax measured in a at a portly 36mm wide, with the 521 an anorexic 28mm. Mavic have split these two dimensions for the new 32mm-wide Deemax, improving its responsiveness and opening up the wheel’s market to include your average huckster. Mavic are adamant that the increase in strength and rigidity gained by introducing UST to the Deemax (which leaves only one of the rim’s two bridges pierced), more than compensates for the reduction in width.

Other structural changes to the Deemax include 28 spoke lacing, using straight pull spokes, a disc-only rim design and the introduction of Mavic’s 20mm bolt-through/9mm quick-release compatible hub. By swapping a couple of alloy collars on either side of the front axle, you can remove a Deemax from a Boxxer and whack it straight on a non-Tullio Psylo. Mavic are shying away from introducing a rear hub that’s compatible with bolt-through swingarms until manufacturers settle into a common diameter and width. Instead, they have chosen to carry over the low-tech nut and thread design.

What should really sell the Deemax to downhillers, however, is their UST-compatibility. Most obvious butyl-banishing benefit should be the elimination of pinch-flats. With no tube to pinch between rim and tyre, you should be able to hammer head-on into a section of square-edged roots or rocks and ride out the other side fully inflated. I say should, because, in very extreme circumstances, the tyre could break its lock with the rim and allow air to escape. Unfortunately, UST is not immune to attack by thorns, glass or nails.

The upshot of UST’s antidote to snakebite is that riders can safely run lower pressures, and enjoy greater traction, with peace of mind. To give you an idea, a 15psi reduction in pressure, will increase the tyre’s footprint by 16%. Some World Cup downhillers have even run pressures as low as 20psi in their qualifying runs using UST.

And if you’re worried about a lack of tubeless downhill tyres, Hutchinson have their Comp 16 rip-off – the Octopus – with other manufacturers such as Tioga, Michelin and Maxxis all developing tubeless models. In the mean time, the wheels can still be used with standard tyres and tubes.

Weight on the Deemax is 1075g front, 1235g rear, and the price, when they’re released in October, will be €550-€600 (£350-£375).

For ’03, the list of UST rims available for DIY enthusiasts doubles with the introduction of the D3.1 Disc. Basically it’s the rim off the new Deemax, featuring disc specific, 30mm width, UST-compatibility, with the freedom to lace up to your choice of hub. TheD3.1 will only be available in black with a 32-hole drilling.

For cross-country applications, the UST-ready X3.1 Disc continues, but it’s joined by the X3.1 rim brake version. The 465g rim is UST compatible, features UB Control skimmed sidewalls and either 28 or 32-hole drilling. Only available in black.